Mobile video watching up 532 percent in two years, study says

Smartphones and tablets are playing a key role in the consumption of online videos, a new study from video technology company Ooyala shows.

During the first quarter of 2014, 21 percent of all online video-plays around the world were completed through mobile devices or tablets, Ooyala reported Wednesday. In the first quarter of 2012, that figure was at 3.4 percent. It jumped to 9 percent in the first quarter of 2013.

The massive growth in online video consumption via mobile devices has changed the paradigm in content availability. Since 2012, mobile and tablet video viewership is up 532 percent.

The data is an important consideration for broadcasters. Over the last couple of years, several companies, including most notably Microsoft with its Xbox One, have been promoting the benefits of multiscreen viewing. Microsoft in particular believes that there's an opportunity for broadcasters to share relevant content to viewers on their mobile devices as they're viewing something on their televisions. Other companies are eyeing the ways in which tablets and smartphones can be integrated into the viewing experience, though no single firm has established itself as the leader in the multiscreen space.

In a statement Wednesday, Ooyala CEO Jay Fulcher said companies need to think about multiscreen viewing to "build a fundamentally better video business."

It might be useful for companies to also consider the devices they're targeting. Ooyala discovered that 82 percent of all mobile video consumption occurs on iOS devices, with nearly all of the remaining video views happening on Android. That's somewhat surprising, considering 226 million Android devices shipped in the fourth quarter alone. Apple shipped about one-quarter of that sum during the same period.

Mobile viewing isn't reserved for those in a rush. Indeed, Ooyala discovered that 48 percent of people around the globe who viewed mobile videos in the first quarter watched content for 30 minutes or more. More than three-quarters of viewers watched videos at least 10 minutes in length.

"The statistics in our Global Video Index continue to affirm our belief that mobile is in large part the future of video and TV consumption," Fulcher said. "We see the acceleration of mobile video consumption happening globally, as consumers in every region adopt mobile and tablet video faster, and interact with it longer."